Carpinus putoensis

Carpinus putoensis (Putuo hornbeam, Chinese: 普陀鹅耳枥) is a species of plant in the family Betulaceae. It is a small tree, up to 15 metres (49 ft) tall.^[2]

Carpinus putoensis
Carpinus putoensis near Huiji Temple, Putuo Island
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Betulaceae
Genus:	Carpinus
Species:	C. putoensis
Binomial name
Carpinus putoensis Cheng

It is endemic to Zhoushan archipelago in China where it survives as a single tree on Putuo Island. It is monoecious, thereby in principle still able to reproduce sexually in the wild.^[1] According to Edward O. Wilson, this is an example of what conservation biologists call "living dead" species.